Richard Bartholomew and The Revealer have picked up on the story of the defacing of petroglyphs on Qajartalik Island. Although Pentecostals in Kangiqsujuaq, (population 479) about 15 kilometres away deny responsibility, it is believed by the locals “the devil†controls the island. Archaeologists say the ‘horns’ that make some of the carvings look ‘devilish’ were probably the peaks of the tribes hooded garments.
A reader asks why there aren’t more pictures. Good question. It’s the Arctic, and sometimes things are a bit slow to trickle out of academic fields. There are about 170 etchings in the rock, believed to have been left by the Dorset tribe about 1000 years ago. Pictures via: Nunatsiaq News and Laval University.
Â
 .bmp)
        .thumbnail.jpg)
     
     Â
The Virtual Musuem of Canada (flash -art)
The first response of indigenous people to the arrival of Christian missionaires should be: Eat ‘em if you got ‘em. Righteous Vandalism by the New World Taliban. I’m sure the Lord Thy Imaginary Friend is so proud.
ar arr arr. How does your imaginary friend feel?
Thing is for all the talk, they can’t prove it was people from Kangiqsujuaq. Given the isolation and motivation it is a reasonable assumption.
“Given the isolation and motivation…”
And the very focused nature of the damage – this was an intentional defacement of the carvings, not a teenaged vandal “tagging” a local landmark, or a souvenir-hunter ruining more than they steal.